Armrest and brace for composite metal and wood chairs



' Sept. 15, 1953 J. s. BURDIICK ARMREST AND BRACE FOR COMPOSITE METAL AND WOOD CHAIRS Filed Aug. 23, 1950 Patented Sept. l5, 1953 ARMREST AND BRACE FOR COMPOSITE METAL AND WOOD CHAIRS John S. Burdick, North Muskegon, Mich., assignor to The Shaw-Walker Company, Muskegon, Mich., a corporation of Michigan Application August 23, 1950, Serial No. 180,988

4 Claims.

This invention relates to improvements in chairs, and more particularly to chairs having a seat frame made of metal and arm rests made of wood or similar material.

The principal object of the invention i to provide a simple, sturdy and durable construction of the kind above mentioned, which is light in weight and economical in cost of manufacture.

A further object is to provide an improved means for connecting the wood arm rests to the seat frame and for crossconnecting said parts to each other.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will appear from time to time a the following description proceeds.

The invention may best be understood by reference to the accompanying drawings, in which like numerals apply to like parts in each of the figures:

Figure 1 is a fragmentary perspective view showing the under side of the seat frame with the cross-connecting means for the arm rests at opposite sides of said seat frame;

Figure 2 is a fragmentary enlarged detail side view of the front portion of the seat frame;

Figure 3 is a detail section taken on line 3--3 of Figure 2;

Figure 4 is a detail View in reduced perspective of the cross tie bar employed in the seat frame structure.

Referring now to details of the embodiment of my invention illustrated in the figures, the chair shown in Figure 1 for illustrative purposes is of the general type commonly referred to as a visitors chair, including as its principal elements a back frame H), a seat II, front legs l2, l2, rear legs 13, i3 and arm rests I l, [4. The back frame includes upright side rails l5, I5 which are prolonged into the rear legs [3, I3.

The seat ll consists of an open frame made of channel metal construction, on which is mounted a suitable scat member herein comprising a wooden seat having its lower margin resting on an inwardly turned upper flange 22 of the seat frame 2G. The front legs i2 and arm rests M are made of wood or similar solid material as is preferable to avoid bodily discomfort of the occupant by contact with the metal parts which tend to give a chilling sensation at relatively low temperatures.

The sheet metal seat frame 28 includes a continuous upright side strip 25 of sheet metal with an inwardly turned upper flange 22, previously mentioned, and an inwardly turned lower flange 26.

The arm l4, it each comprise a generally horizontal arm rest 27 and an arm support 28, herein consisting of wood formed to the desired shape with an enlarged flat base portion 29 at the lower end secured to the outer face of the metal side strip 25 of the seat frame.

The lower ends of the chair arms [4 are connected to the seat frame 20 and cross-connected to each other for added strength and rigidity of the chair as a whole by a cross piece or tie rod details of which are shown in Figures 1 to 4. The cross piece 35 consists of a length of sheet metal generally U-shape in cross section, and having upright end plates 3|, 3! fixed across the opposite ends thereof as by welding. In the form shown, said end plates each have ears 32, 32 also welded to the adjacent upright sides of the cross piece 38. As seen in Figure 3, the end plates are preferably fixed at a slight angle to said cross piece so as to fit snugly against the inner faces of the opposed side strips 25 of the seat frame, which diverge slightly at the points of connection with the arms, adjacent the front of the chair. The bottom flange 26 of the seat frame may be partially cut away, as indicated at 35, to aid in setting the cross piece in place.

The widened lower end 29 of each arm support 23 is secured fiatwise against the side strip 25 of the seat frame, with a sheet 38 of resilient material, such as felt or rubber, interposed therebetween, as shown in Figure 3. A plurality of bolts 39, 39, herein two in number, are passed successively through the lower end of the arm support, the side strip 25 of the seat frame and horizontal slots 40, ii in the end plate 3! of the cross piece 36. The bolts 39 preferably have enlarged flattened heads 42 and squared shanks 28 at the outer sides of the arm supports 28, and their inner ends have nuts 44, 44 threaded thereon for clamping engagement with the inner faces of the end plates 3|. A lock washer 46 may be interposed between each nut and adjacent end plate, as shown in Figure 3. The slots 40, 4| permit limited horizontal adjustment of the cross piece 30 relative to the seat frame and arm supports, if desired.

The cross piece 30 at the point of connection of the lower ends of the arms [4, as described, makes an especially strong, light-weight metal seat frame structure for a composite metal and wood chair of the kind to which the present invention is directed, since arm chairs of this kind, when in use, must withstand heavy stresses imposed on the arms, tending to spread them apart.

3 The cross piece 30 serves to reinforce the sheet metal seat frame at this critical point.

The chair seat member may be suitably held in place on the top of the open seat frame 20 by a plurality of clamps 48 screwed to the under face of the seat member and having end portions engaging the upper flange 22 of said seat frame, as seen in Figure 1.

Where the seat frame is provided with wooden front legs as shown herein, said leg may have their upper ends fitted in and suitably secured to the front corners of the seat frame 20, as by the assembly structure disclosed in my Patent No. 2,345,178 issued March 28, 1944. As shown herein, screws 50, 5| pass through the upper ends of said legs and are screwed into retainer blocks 52, 52, the upper and lower edges of which are retained between downwardly extending terminal flanges 22a of the upper seat frame flanges 22, and upwardly extending terminal flanges 26a of the lower seat frame flanges 26.

The front legs I2 may be connected to the rear legs I3 intermediate the floor and the seat by cross bars 60 which, in turn, may be connected by transverse bars 6|, 6|.

The strip 38 of resilient material interposed between each arm support 28 of the seat frame, as previously described, serves to insulate the arms against squeaking while the chair is in use.

Although I have shown and described my in vention as applied to a four-legged chair, it will be understood that it may also be applied to swivel chairs or to other similar furniture, such as composite metal and wood tables or like structures.

Moreover it will be understood that I do not wish to be limited to the exact construction shown and described, but that various changes and modifications may be made without departure from the spirit and scope of the invention as defined in the appended claims.

Iclaim:

1. In a composite metal and wood chair structure, a sheet metal seat frame including upright side strips and supporting mean therefor, wooden arms having their front ends in fiatwise supported engagement along the outer faces of said side strips at the opposite sides of the seat frame, a tie bar spanning said frame transversely, having upright metal end portions in fiatwise supporting engagement with the op posed inner faces of said side strips, and bolts passing through the front ends of each of said arms, the proximate portion of said side strips, and the proximate end portion of said tie bar to secure the three last-named parts rigidly toether.

2. A chair structure in accordance with claim 1, wherein the supporting means for the seat frame comprises front and rear legs, and the tie bar is spaced from and is independent of said front and rear legs.

3. A chair structure in accordance with claim 1, wherein the bolts have flattened heads engaging the outer faces of the chair arm and threaded inner ends with nuts thereon engaging the inner faces of the end portions of the tie rod.

4. A chair structure in accordance with claim 1, wherein each chair arm is connected to the side strips and tie bar plates by a plurality of bolts disposed in vertically spaced relation to each other.

JOHN S. BURDICK.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 984,823 Linden Feb. 21, 1911 1,444,024 Burdick Feb. 6, 1923 1,676,987 Line July 10, 1928 1,729,041 Harman Sept. 24, 1929 1,750,409 Kovac Mar. 11, 1930 1,842,054 Sobel Jan. 19, 1932 2,035,489 McArthur Mar. 31, 1936 2,345,178 Burdick Mar. 28, 1944 2,492,070 Stone et al. Dec. 20, 1949 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 218,028 Switzerland Apr. 1, 1942 

